A training seminar was held for employees of the Ombudsman's Office, organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It was conducted by representatives of the delegation of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - UNHCR Senior Adviser on Legal Protection Rano Saydumarova, UNHCR Statelessness Adviser in Central Asia Sergei Gaina and UNHCR Legal Adviser Hanifa Karimi.

The event, like other information sessions, was aimed at increasing the capacity of staff of the Office of the Ombudsman of Turkmenistan on issues of statelessness and asylum by familiarizing them with international standards and best practices for reducing and preventing statelessness, sharing experiences in resolving these issues and strengthening cooperation between the Office of the Ombudsman Turkmenistan and UNHCR.

The topic of the seminar was identifying and responding to situations of vulnerable internally displaced persons and stateless persons in places of detention and at borders. During the seminar, the achievements of Turkmenistan in joining the main UNHCR Conventions, reducing and preventing statelessness, strengthening the legal framework of the work carried out in this area, which determine the country’s leading role in eradicating statelessness in Central Asia, were noted.

Representatives of UNHCR noted the important role of the National Action Plan for the Elimination of Statelessness for 2019-2024, approved by the President of Turkmenistan, within the time frame outlined in the framework of the #IBELONG campaign to achieve the global goal of eradicating statelessness.